Look at these magnificent caterpillars!

I’m one of these people who appears to do major things impulsively; like sell all my stuff and move overseas at the drop of a hat, or start a shoe business…

But actually – apart from starting Shoe Envy, which really was impulsive – I’ve usually been thinking about it for a long time, weighing the pros and cons, pondering the worst case scenarios and doing my research; all the basic risk management.

So when I suddenly booked an appointment to get my eyebrows micro-bladed (razor tattooed) last June, it should have surprised nobody, least of all my ex, who had been saying for months, “Don’t you tattoo your eyebrows!”

As a newly-minted brow devotee, I can’t help sharing all the gory details with everyone. So if you’d like to know more, this is your lucky day!

Why did I do it?

I was sick of drawing my eyebrows on every day

I was sick of having my eyebrows rubbed off every time I had a massage or got my hair cut

I like having nice, defined symmetrical brows and mine were nothing like that! (Think straggly, sparse, over-plucked and a weird tadpoley shape that was a bit aging in the era of Cara Delevigne and Lilly Collins).

So was it scary? Did it hurt? Do I like the finished result? Am I getting paid for this post…?

Yes, I was terrified I would hate it and be stuck with it. No, it didn’t hurt (apart from when Julie pricked my skin to help the numbing cream work). Do I like it… hell yes! And no, I’m definitely not getting paid for this post in any way but if Beauty21 wants to sponsor my eyebrows, I’m open to talking about it! Haha (no, really, let’s talk…)

How do you choose a brow artist?

The first thing to consider when getting a face tattoo is NOT, “Where can I get the cheapest price?” Trust me, you do not want the cheapest person tattooing your FACE! Having said that, Julie at Beauty21 is very reasonably priced, but the point is, don’t choose based on price.

I stalked all the pages on Facebook for months and had a good stickybeak at their work. Beauty21 had loads of awesome pictures and videos and I really liked the way Julie does her brow shapes (this is important because every artist has their own individual style).

It didn’t hurt when a friend from work turned up one day with AMAZEBALLS brows and told me she’d just had them done at Beauty21 – coincidence or fate? I decided fate, and made an appointment.

How should you prepare?

The most important thing to note is you can’t really wash your hair for ten days after getting your brows done because you have to keep your brows dry. So definitely wash it the night before. I usually put mine in pigtail plaits and then wear hats for ten days. At the end of it, you’ll smell like wet dog when you finally do wash it! My friend decided to get hers washed at a hairdresser but I was too scared to risk it because I didn’t want my brows to fade prematurely.

What happens on the day?

The appointment will take a couple of hours because you’ll need to get your bone structure measured and your brow shape plotted. If this doesn’t take a decent amount of time – RUN! Once it’s tattooed on, you’re stuck with it, so take your time to make sure you’re happy with the shape. Make sure you communicate clearly what you want and even take a picture with you if you know what you’re after.

Bear in mind that your brow shape will partly be determined by the shape of your bone structure and natural brows so your brow artist will be able to advise you if what you’re trying to achieve isn’t realistic for your face shape. For example, not everyone can have Angelina Jolie’s eyebrows because not everyone has her bone structure.

You will have topical numbing cream applied so the feathering won’t be painful. To help it penetrate the skin, your brow artist may prick the skin across the entire area first. This is slightly eye-watering but it’s quick.

Your brow artist will match the pigment to your natural eyebrow hair so it will blend well – taking into account your hair colour. So in my case, my eyebrows are naturally very dark, but I have dyed blonde (and sometimes red) hair so she chose a warm dark brown for me rather than an ashy brown so it would work well with my hair.

My eyebrows were REALLY asymmetrical and not even the same height. Julie brought them together for the first time in their little lives. When I went back for my one-year retouch this week, I decided to go BIGGER because EYEBROWS DAMMIT! (Love them so much!)

Look at that before shot! It’s like these eyebrows don’t even like each other and one of them is trying to slyly edge away…

What’s the aftercare like?

When your brows are first done they are SOOOOO DARK that you spend the first 48 hours thinking WTF have I done? OMG I look like a circus freak! Fear not, this will pass…

Not getting your brows wet is REALLY difficult. Washing your face is a pain, forgetting you’ve had it done and accidentally scratching them is alarming (OMG did I just scratch them off!) You quickly learn not to scratch and to just apply the cream you’re given every time you feel an itch.

On about day four or five, the scabs start peeling off and then you have the opposite reaction to day one (OMG, they’re coming off! Will I have any brows left? They’re so faded? Why did I just spend all that money if you can’t even see them any more!!!!) This too shall pass.

Once the scabby phase ends and they’ve completely shed (around day seven) you can finally see the finished result but DON’T WET THEM YET. They still need to heal. At this point, you’ll be like, MY EYEBROWS ARE AMAZING. EVERYONE LOOK AT MY EYEBROWS! And you’ll start to annoy the people who are unfortunate enough to have to spend a lot of time with you because all you will want to talk about is your fabulous eyebrows.

Strangers will encourage this compulsion by complimenting you at random in the street – much to the irritation of your nearest and dearest!

What if I want eyebrows too?

If you’re lucky enough to live in Melbourne, you can get a special discount at Beauty21, which is in Preston, Victoria – just mention my name (Heather Potter) or Shoe Envy when you book to get $50 off. Do I get anything out of this? Not a thing. I just think everyone deserves great eyebrows and I think Julie is amazeballs!

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Wow, they look fantastic. I’ve been thinking about having mine done for a year , but too scared to do it in case they look awful. I’ve heard of some horror stories. I know there are a couple of good places in Noosa so you’ve convinced me to do it.

Thanks Jen! Just make sure you research their work and explain to them really clearly what you want! It’s scary and it does take a couple of weeks to get used to it at first – even the second time around – but I love them. So much easier!

They just look so amazing! I might have this done after the obligatory post split anti wrinkle face jabbing sessions and boob lift because well after this is done I want to look ten years younger damn it. But lady you look hot!